The name of the school and its location have changed over the years but the mission of the Irene L. Chavez Excel Academy has always remained the same – to serve as an academic alternative high school for students at risk of dropping out. Now 25 years later, the school is celebrating not only a milestone anniversary, but a new name in honor of its longtime leader.

For the second time in 2015, Northside ISD is headed to space. Two seniors at Business Careers High School, Kaitlyn Bloch and John Gonzales, developed an experiment that will head to the International Space Station in summer 2015.

The O’Connor High School Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) will host a workshop called “Can Your Teen Say No?” on Wednesday, April 29, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The workshop is opened to all NISD parents and students.

Everybody needs a hero to look up to that will serve as a mentor. Almost 51,000 elementary students across Northside ISD, and thousands more across the city of San Antonio, were inspired by local heroes during “Heroes for Health Day,” a collaborative effort across the county to stress the importance of health and fitness for children.

April marks the nation’s Month of the Military Child. As a way to honor military youth affected by deployment, school district employees and students across the state are encouraged to wear purple on Wednesday, April 15, as part of “Purple Up! for Military Kids.”

It has been an active spring in Northside ISD with a special announcement at the Northside Swim Center, a surprise announcement for an Aue ES teacher who is a finalist for the prestigious H-E-B Excellence in Education award, and the rededication of a baseball field named for an individual who advocated for fitness facilities for students. Click here to see what’s happening in NISD.

Construction Careers Academy, Stevens High School, and Mead Elementary School are champions in the 2015 Silver and Black Give Back Team Up Challenge and each will receive $20,000 to continue their community service projects.

After a recent Senate hearing in Austin on vouchers, Scott Milder, Founder of Friends of Texas Public Schools, wrote the following open letter to our Texas State Senators. We publish it here for you to read. We will also let you know if we have any takers.

To keep staff and community members continually updated on important and current issues, Northside ISD has launched a new video initiative called “Straight Talk with Superintendent Dr. Brian Woods.” The first edition features information about recent bond issues, and an update on new school construction, campus renovation projects, and additional school security measures.

Once again, Northside is expecting a large kindergarten enrollment for the upcoming school year, making it all the more critical that parents register their children during Kinder Roundup in order to secure a seat at their neighborhood school. More than 7,500 kindergarten students are expected to enroll for the 2015-16 school year.

Technology is nothing new in NISD classrooms. The use of it continues to expand and have a positive impact on the way teachers teach and students learn. Click here to watch Aue ES second graders use iPads to teach a science lesson to Kindergarten students.

Do we want a system of education that is good for all of our children or one that is good for only a few? Several school voucher bills have been filed in the current legislative session. This is not the first session where we have seen vouchers proposed and it likely won’t be the last.

Last night, Trustees discussed and took action on several items: approved Summer School programs, approved an attendance cap for Taft HS, adopted instructional materials for the 2015-2016 school year, and appointed two campus administrators.

It can be a lonely world for a child who is too sick to attend school. Rawlinson MS student Mason Taylor experienced this when he was diagnosed with a life-altering illness and became a homebound student. But, now a robot based at the school helps Mason interact with his teachers and classmates from home. Click here to learn more about how NISD is bringing the classroom to the homes of some of our students.

Almost 51,000 elementary students across Northside ISD, and thousands more across the city of San Antonio, were inspired by local heroes during “Heroes for Health Day,” a collaborative effort across the county to stress the importance of health and fitness for children.

It’s been a pretty exciting year for Hobby Middle School seventh graders Anthony Holmes and Kalista Ybarra and sixth graders Madelyn Hickman and Jacob Rubio. In January, their science experiment “Crystal Formation” went to space. Now they’re taking the results to the White House Science Fair. The four will be honored guests Monday, March 23 at the 5th annual White House Science Fair hosted by President Obama.

In a first of its kind event, middle school students will host the 2015 San Antonio Mayoral Candidate Forum from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18 at Hector Garcia Middle School. The event is open to the public and will also be live webcast at www.nisd.net/live. Overflow parking will be at Beard Elementary School (8725 Sonoma Parkway) with shuttles running continuously from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Students across Northside ISD are participating in hands on activities at various events including Western Day at Allen ES, the Walter Gerlach Livestock Show & Sale, and a drum café extravaganza at Zachry MS. Click here to watch the highlights.